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An unpromising lump of metal found in a 2,000-year-old shipwreck turns out to be an extraordinary treasure: the world's first computer. NOVA follows the ingenious detective work that painstakingly discovered the truth about the ancient Greek device: it was an astonishingly sophisticated astronomical calculator and eclipse predictor, unrivaled until the era of modern science and believed to be from the workshop of Archimedes.

Compelling documentary about an artifact retrieved from a Greek shipwreck a century ago, a corroded metallic object that baffled experts for years. The documentary follows current day experts using technology and reverse engineering to explore the secrets of what was in fact an mechanized device, a thousand years or more ahead of its time. History, engineering, math, and science are all explored, and the various expert commentary brings with it an enthusiasm for the subject that keeps the audience engaged.